News

With Tropical Storm Michael churning in the Gulf towards the east, tides are higher than normal on the Bolivar Peninsula. Drive with care near the intersection of Highway 87 and Highway 124 during high tide as debris and high water may be present.

FEMA will be conducting a nationwide test of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, October 3, 2018. The WEA test will be at 1:18 p.m. and the EAS test follows at 1:20 p.m. The WEA test message will be sent to cell phones that are connected to wireless providers participating in WEA.

On September 20th, at 1:18pm CST (2:18pm EDT) the Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will be conducting a nationwide test of the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system, followed by a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) at 1:20pm CST (2:20pm EDT).

This test has been done on a smaller scale in various parts of the country as just an EAS or WEA test. This is the first time both systems will be tested at the same time. The test will also send out a bilingual message in Spanish.

WEA:

The WEA test will send a Presidential Message to all WEA-enabled cell phones at 1:18pm CST.

The WEA test will broadcast to cell towers for approximately 30 minutes and cell phone users should only receive the message one time.

The message will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed.”

EAS:

The EAS test will go out via television and radio at 1:20pm CST.

The EAS test should last approximately 1 minute.

The message will read, “THIS IS A TEST of the National Emergency Alert System. This system was developed by broadcast and cable operators in voluntary cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Federal Communications Commission, and local authorities to keep you informed in the event of an emergency. If this had been an actual emergency an official message would have followed the tone alert you heard at the start of this message. A similar wireless emergency alert test message has been sent to all cell phones nationwide. Some cell phones will receive the message; others will not. No action is required.”

It is important that our public safety partners and the residents of Galveston County know about this test and why it is occurring. This test is an important element in keeping our emergency alert systems relevant and up to date with public safety needs and public expectations.

Please join us as the National Weather Service presents a Floodwarn Seminar. This free training provides information on flood risks, flood insurance, flood forecasts and warnings as well as your watershed. The Floodwarn Seminar is open to the public and will be held on Wednesday, October 10 from 6:30 – 8:30 PM at the Galveston County Office of Emergency Management, 1353 FM 646, Dickinson, TX 77539. For more information please contact the National Weather Service at 281-337-5074.

GALVESTON COUNTY- A burn ban has been issued as of 27 August 2018 for only the unincorporated areas of Galveston County. Fireworks are still allowed to be safely discharged. Click here to read the full details on the ban. Thank you, and have a safe Labor Day weekend!